Franklin County Commissioners have agreed to purchase Starlink internet access for all 7 of the county’s volunteer fire departments to ensure that communications remain up and running during hurricanes and other major disasters.
The action was taken at the request of the Emergency Management Department, who pointed out that communications were lost during Hurricane Michael in 2018 leading to difficulties for first responders and other county personnel in the days after the storm.
The Starlink service will ensure that Emergency Management can continue sending messages, not only to the fire departments, but the public could go to the nearest fire department and use their phones to get the information that is being sent out.
People could even use the internet to make a phone call or send a text message to loved ones to let people know they're okay.
The cost for the service is 16 thousand dollars for the first year, which includes the cost of the equipment and the monthly fee for the Starlink units for the first year.
The County will cover the cost of the first year of service through its professional services budget and then the expense will be added to the Emergency Management budget in the future.
The board also agreed to add a Starlink unit to the Planning and Zoning office in Eastpoint to ensure that office also has constant communication when needed.
The action was taken at the request of the Emergency Management Department, who pointed out that communications were lost during Hurricane Michael in 2018 leading to difficulties for first responders and other county personnel in the days after the storm.
The Starlink service will ensure that Emergency Management can continue sending messages, not only to the fire departments, but the public could go to the nearest fire department and use their phones to get the information that is being sent out.
People could even use the internet to make a phone call or send a text message to loved ones to let people know they're okay.
The cost for the service is 16 thousand dollars for the first year, which includes the cost of the equipment and the monthly fee for the Starlink units for the first year.
The County will cover the cost of the first year of service through its professional services budget and then the expense will be added to the Emergency Management budget in the future.
The board also agreed to add a Starlink unit to the Planning and Zoning office in Eastpoint to ensure that office also has constant communication when needed.
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